Of Kats and Dogs
by Katyla
Summary: Chapter 5 up! No, it's not a spelling mistake, it's a pun. Sequel to my first HP story,
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**             I do not own Harry Potter, nor any characters and/or places recognisable in this story. HP, all characters and places belong to the esteemed J.K Rowling, I am merely amusing myself with them. Nor do I gain any sort of payment for the writing of this story. (Unless any of you wonderful people would be so kind as to donate some money to my "Buy-a-Superstar-Horse Fund." Take that any way you want.)

A/N: Yes people, I'm back. And this is the little sequel for my first fanfic "Betrayal of Different Kinds". For those of you who have not yet read this, please do, or you will have no idea what's going on in this story!!! But for those of you who have been kind enough to read my previous work, welcome back!

This story takes place round about the time of the end of GoF, to the end of OotP. It is in an Alternate Universe, if only for the reason that I wish to mess around with it a bit, ok?

**Now, read and review!!!**

**Warning: Serious OotP spoilers!!!!**

Some times Sirius Black wished that he had stayed in Hawaii. It had been so much more interesting there. The tropical plants, the blue sea, the beaches, the women in bikini's. Paradise, pure and simple.

But no, he could not, for Harry had needed him, and it was Sirius's duty to help his godson – and, after all, he did care a lot for the boy. Almost as much as he had cared for James.

Then Dumbledore had recalled the Order, and Sirius knew that he had to help somehow, if only by donating the house that was his by birth right, although he wished it wasn't. It had been strange to walk back into it; remembering all that had happened there. He remembered the first time he had walked into the room that had been his as a child – before he fell from his mother's grace – and seeing everything dust and mouldy.

Never had he dreamed that Kreacher would not look after the place properly, but then, the house-elf was always slightly touched in the head. A condition that seemed to have worsened as the lonely years went past. Too bad, house-elves weren't exactly very easy to come by. 

It would take a long time to return the house to it's former glory, especially with that darned Kreacher permanently carrying off things, but since Sirius had nothing to do really, he guessed it would not be enough to keep him occupied.

A great blessing it was when the others in the Order started to arrive at the house more often, which alleviated the initial boredom. Sure, when he was in exile Sirius often had to spend time alone, but at least he was outside and free. Here he was trapped, trapped not only by the murky interior and boredom, but also by the oppressive memories that lay like a smothering blanket upon him.

Even better yet was when Arthur, Molly and the children came to stay. Fred and George were a treat, for they were a lot like Sirius and James had been at their age, and often Sirius found himself telling the twins about his own time at Hogwarts, comparing notes with them. He also thoroughly enjoyed their jokes and tricks, which as often brought cries of shock as laughs.

Ron and Hermione were just as great source of entertainment to Sirius as the twins were, for they kept him occupied with stories of Harry and their adventures, making Sirius steadily get to know the way his godson's mind worked better and better.

Cleaning the house was never as bad when done in small groups as when it was done alone, and the work went swiftly. All he needed to figure out now was how to get rid of that hideous portrait of his mother in the hall. The curtains seemed to keep the old bat quiet most of the time, but there were still the occasional times when someone would say something too loud, which caused the horrible woman to set off.

Sirius only wished that he could go out every once in a while. He missed the fresh air and the freedom of the world. Here, in the Black manor, he was forced to rely on others for news, whereas out there he would be able to gather information by himself. He hated being useless, which is one of the things he hated about his current situation, he was of no use to the Order, or Harry. 

He just hoped he could see Harry before the end of the summer.

                                                                        ****

It was the second week of the summer holidays when the doorbell rang unexpectedly. Sirius, Molly, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were busy cleaning out Narcissa's old room when the unexpected summons came. As far as all of them knew, Remus wasn't expected to come back before later that evening, and any of the others were expected even later. Sirius nearly flew down the stairs, the others in his wake.

It turned out to be Mad-Eye Moody and Remus, and along with them, came a cloaked figure. Sirius asked no questions, nor were any answers given, but the curiosity in the room was so thick in the hall that you could reach out and touch it.

"Are we going to stand in the hall the entire day?" Mad-Eye asked sourly, his magical eye roving over all those present.

Molly blushed slightly and led the way to the kitchen, shooting a glance backwards at the cloaked and hooded figure as she walked, one eyebrow raised.

The kitchen was comfortable, if not completely homey yet, but Molly had made it her domain, and it was as spotless as it could be. The settled themselves around the table, and everyone turned expectantly to the three newcomers, with many curious looks shot at the concealed figure.

"You are much earlier that you were expected…" Molly started, if only to fill the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Yes. There was a slight change of plans." Remus replied between gulps of butterbeer. "Dumbledore just let us both know about it this morning, and it was quite a rush to get everything together."

Mad-Eye nodded and his magical eye roved to the figure beside him. "I think you should take that off now. It is no longer needed."

Sirius, who had tilted his chair back on two legs and was resting with his feet on the table, raised an eyebrow at the exchange. "Why would it even be necessary to hide your face in this neck of the woods? There are many spells which would be simpler to use."

"Because, Sirius Black," came the oddly familiar voice from beneath the cowl, although Sirius could not place it. "I have come a long way in this disguise, and I am fond of it." From the tone of the hidden woman's voice, she was clearly mocking him, and making it clear that she did what she did for her own reasons.

"And as to why I would have to hide who I am, that is simple. If anyone who knew me before would even suspect that I am still alive, my life might very well be forfeit." Slowly, the figure pushed back the hood.

Sirius's chair fell backwards with a crash, making everyone jump up to see if he was okay.

"How?" Was all he said as he pushed himself up from the ground, and righted his chair, although he did not appear too enthusiastic about coming any closer to the person. "I saw you die!"

The others in the kitchen watched the scene with varying degrees of shock.

Katherine Hale slowly shook her head. She had changed greatly since their school days. Her fair skin had a deep tan now, and her hair showed hints of red where the raven tresses had been bleached by the sun. Now that she had removed her cloak it was also clear that her willowy frame had filled out slightly with even more womanly curves, and she appeared much stronger that she had in their days at Hogwarts. A whitish, inch-long scar ran down from her left cheekbone, and there was a sadness in her sombre azure eyes that had not been there before.

"No, you watched me be stabbed and then beg Dumbledore to let me die by my own choice. I do not believe that Professor Dumbledore ever told you that he did not allow me to die, instead keeping me in hiding."

She glanced fondly at Moody and shot him a small smile. "Only a few people in Britain knew that I was still alive. All of the Professors who had come with Dumbledore that day knew that he chose to let me live against my will, as well as Madam Pomfrey, and later on Alastor Moody."

"Dumbledore always believed that there would be a place for Kat somewhere in th future, and he refused to let such a powerful witch die so easily." Moody put in, his scarred face looking at Sirius.

"Then where have you been all this time?" Sirius's voice was flat. Although a part of him wanted to do some kind of excited jigg at the prospect of seeing Kat again, another part of himself stopped him.

For too long had Sirius mourned for this woman, for too long had he lost hope of ever seeing her again. He couldn't simply just accept that she was back. A new thought dawned on him. What if it was some kind of sick trick Tonks and the rest were playing? No, even they would not be so cruel. At least, he didn't think they would.

"Well, while you were all finishing your seventh year at Hogwarts, I was struggling to recuperate in a safe-house that Dumbledore organised for me. The Professors visited me often, bringing me homework and teaching me all they could. Professor Dumbledore himself taught me many things, and a few others came and went in my life."

She took a sip of her butterbeer, seeming not to notice the others in the room as she locked her gaze on Sirius. "For the years that Voldemort – oh for crying out loud, stop winching everytime someone says his name – was still in power, Dumbledore kept me hidden, telling me to wait patiently, for he knew that one day Voldemort would fail. In those years he brough Moody to me, and he taught me what all Aurors knew, thus making me an illegal Auror on Dumbledore's orders.

"When Voldemort was defeated, Dumbledore finally allowed me to leave the house and the garden I had been confined in for so long. He sent me on several missions to Asia, Russian, South America, Egypt, Syria, India. All of which I did alone. I was not allowed to contact any who had known me before, and it has been a long time since I have been known as Katherine Hale. I have had so many names in the past, my own seems quite strange to me." 

Sirius shook his head. "No, this isn't possible. This is some kind of sick joke! Tonks, this isn't funny! Stop it now!"

"What's not funny?" Came Tonk's voice from behind him. Apparently they had not heard the doorbell, and the twins had opened for her. Her hair was a shocking lime green that day, a green that made it hard to look at her. She glanced from Sirius's tense face to Katherine's unfamiliar one.

"'Ose this then?" Came George's voice from somewhere behind Tonks, and the woman moved over a slight bit, knocking over a chair as she went. She dove to pick it up and flashed the others a sheepish smile.

"This is Katherine Hale. An old friend of me and Sirius." Remus smiled tiredly. "Dumbledore wants her to stay here for a while."

Sirius nearly fell over. He would have to live with Kat for a few months. That is to say, if it really was Kat. 

Jumping up, Molly started to give out orders for an early dinner; something that everyone jumped up to help with. There was a lessening of tension in the room as the evening went by. Everyone had questions for Kat, mostly about the countries she had visited in the past, and she answered them gladly. Only Sirius said nothing as he silently dug into the food set on the table.

He was the first to leave the table, but even when he did, only Kat and Moody noticed.

                                                            ****


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok, I know the first chapter was kinda lame, but it was needed in order to just let all of you know what happened to Kat for all those years. I must warn you, however, that this story is mostly a romance, with very little else in it, actually. It won't be too long, and if any of you think at any stage that it is getting too boring, please do let me know so I can stop wasting my time on it.

**Thanks!**

Sirius and Kat didn't speak for the next few days, and whenever they were in the same room, the air crackled with tension. Kat appeared genuinely distraught about this, although she knew that it was stupid of her to think that it would just go back to the way it had been at school. Too much had happened to both of them in the years they had been parted.

No matter how she tried, Kat never really found her place in the house. Molly was friendly enough, but the two women were in different stages in their lives, and although Kat would never admit it, she was very much jealous of the older woman. What Kat would not give to have the life Molly had. To wake up every morning with the man you love beside you, and wonderful children to enrich your life. That would never happen for Kat, she could feel it in her bones.

The only time Kat ever felt like one of the others was when Moody, Bill or Charlie turned up. She knew Bill and Charlie from meetings they had in the past respectively in Egypt and Romania, and she liked both men. Moody as well was a rare treat, for her favourite teacher knew Kat better than she knew herself.

They sat in the kitchen late one evening, Moody drinking from his hipflask, and Kat nursing a glass of red wine.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Moody asked in his grave voice, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yes." Kat sighed. "And despite everything I tried during these past years, I believe that I still do."

Moody nodded and took a long swallow from his flask. "Have you tried telling him that?"

A peal of laughter comes from Kat. "He barely talks to me. That doesn't exactly leave a lot of openings for that type of conversation, does it?"

"Have _you_ tried to talk to him, Katherine?"

She hung her head. "I guess not. I've kind off been waiting for him to make the first move, you know?"

"There you go. He's in the study right now, playing on the piano. Go talk to him." Moody gave her a gruff smile. "Or are you scared of what will happen when you do?"

Leaning her head upon her hand, Kat sighed once more. "I am scared." She admitted. "I mean, if he says that he loves me as well, I know that it would only hurt both of us again in the future. If he hates me for saying it, I… I don't know what I'll do." She took a sip of her wine.

"Admitting that you are scared is the first step to resolving that fear, Katherine." Moody shook his head. "Face it, my girl, face it and it will be resolved. For good or bad."

Kat sat for a long time, silently contemplating his words. With a resolute look in her eyes, she shook back her hair and stood up, taking her half-full glass of wine with her.

"Thanks." She stopped beside Moody and gave him a quick kiss on his grizzled cheek. "Thanks for being the father I never had."

She left Moody sitting alone in the kitchen, looking highly shocked, but greatly pleased.

He never noticed that she was there until he stopped playing. Sirius often played the piano these days, it was one of the only ways he could still give light to his emotions. With the arrival of Kat, Sirius had found himself thrown back into the old, familiar depression. Looking at her again brought back all the memories of James and Lily and Remus, and yes, even of Peter. He treasured those memories, but he also felt a heavy despair settle over him whenever he though of his school days.

They had all been so optimistic, so happy, so carefree. Their lives had stretched out before them like a wonderful path, a stroll through a fragrant garden that could hold nothing dark or menacing. Not one of them knew the darkness of the future.

Even after Kat had been 'killed' they still had not completely grasped the times they would have to live through. Sure, they had all mourned the death of their friend, Sirius more than any other, but the threat of Voldemort had seemed so far away, so unrelated. What fools they had been.

Yet, all young are foolish, and optimistic, and carefree. Until the real world caught up with them. They had walked happily into the danger of the future, and now, that which had seemed like one big adventure in the beginning had become a nightmare for Sirius.

It still hurt when he thought of James and Lily. It hurt to think that his best friend was gone, even after all these years. And now Kat had to turn up and open the old wounds. He was not quite sure how he felt, or even what he felt for the woman. On the one hand, he had been overjoyed when he saw her. It had been like a little piece of his past coming back. But he was still wary. She was, after all, pretty much unknown to him. They had all changed from their school days, and there was no reason to think that she would be the same.

His fingers played the last few notes on the old piano, and he opened his eyes, for a moment only staring into the darkened void that spread out before him in his mind's eye. Melancholy sat heavily on his heart, and he could not shake it off.

"I never knew you played." Her voice had not changed a lot. There was, however, a deeper sadness to it that reflected in her tone, no matter how jovial she was. The same unending sadness that he saw in her azure eyes.

She stood there in the doorway, a glass of red wine in her hand and her dark hair cascading down over her shoulders. Radiant beyond his widest measure, he found that for a moment, he could not take his eyes off her.

"There are a lot of things about me that you don't know, Katherine." He looked away and stood up, pouring himself a glass of fire-whiskey from the crystal tumbler on the small table behind him.

She sighed; a deep sorrowful sigh. "Yes, Sirius. Many things I never had time to get to know." She took a sip of wine, and Sirius had to wrench his eyes away from the way her lips pressed against the rim of her glass.

"Did you ever wish to get to know it?" He asked sourly, more mad at himself than at her.

"Don't be a fool, Sirius. Of course I wanted to get to know everything about you." She massaged her temple absentmindedly with her free hand. "I still do." She murmured, but if Sirius heard the last part, he made no mention of it.

"Yeah, well. You sure as hell made an effort of it." He wanted to hurt her, to strike back and make her feel pain as he had felt it. It never occurred to him that Kat had had more than her fair share of pain.

"And what on earth is that supposed to mean?" She asked, trying very hard not to lose her temper.

"Only, that you never bothered to contact me after Voldemort fell."

"Because you were in Azkaban, you stupid git! The entire wizarding community thought that you had blown Peter into a thousand smithereens, and those of us that knew that you were supposed to be Lily and James' secret keeper had many reasons to believe that you had joined Voldemort!" Her grip on her wineglass was so tight that it appeared that she might break the glass. "What was I supposed to write, Sirius? Well. Hello, remember me? No, I didn't die, but since everyone thinks that you sold out Lily and James, I might as well let you tell your fellow Death Eaters that I'm alive?" She was furious now. "Righty oh. That would just have been the smartest thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"You thought that I was guilty?" His voice was dangerously low.

"What the fuck was I supposed to think?!" She nearly screeched. "Do you have any idea what it looked like, Sirius? Did you really think that I would allow anyone to mess up my life after I had only managed to make peace with the fact that I was alive?"

"You could have let me know earlier then, there was a lot of time between sixth year and the fall of Voldemort." He was being purposefully stubborn, and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself.

Kat nearly threw him with the glass. "You are being a stubborn, unreasonable fool, Sirius Black. Don't you think I would have let you know that I was alive earlier if I could? You forget what it was like in those years of Voldemort's reign. You forget the fear, the terror. _And you have no idea what it feels like to know that your own father was willing to kill you!_" For the first time since she had heard of Sirius being sent to Azkaban, Kat felt a hot tear trickle down her cheek. "You have no idea how scared and lonely I was in those years! You have no idea how badly I just wanted to die. Yes, I'll admit, I was too caught up in my own self-pity to really think about anyone else for the first year after Dumbledore took me near death from that house."

Another hot tear slipped down her tanned cheek, and she wiped it away angrily. She had not allowed herself to be weak like this in a very long time. 

Sirius took two long strides across the room, depositing the fire-whiskey on one of the many small tables on the way to Kat. He stopped before her and took the wine-glass from her unresisting hand. He placed it down on the ground before his arms enveloped Kat in a warm hug, allowing her to sob against his chest.

"I am so sorry." He murmured over and over to her as he gently rocked her forwards and backwards, cursing himself silently. He had tried to hurt her in order to ease his own pain, he found now that causing her pain made his own suffering worse.

Her sobs lessened and then ceased completely, before she stepped back, wiping a hand over her eyes. "I am sorry, I'm bawling like a child."

"No." Sirius tilted her chin up so that she could look him in the eyes. "It is I who should be sorry. I'm the one who hurt you."

She shook her head. "Forget it." She tried to ignore the way her skin tingled at his touch. "Friends?"

Sirius seemed slightly downcast. "Sure. Friends." He said reluctantly and turned away from Kat, before picking up his fire-whiskey again.

There was an awkward silence in the room, broken only every now and then by the sound of Kreacher scuttling around up stairs. Sirius refused to think of the trouble the maniac house-elf was probably doing. Some times he thought that he'd rather have Peeves in the house than that snivelling, foul-mouthed elf. Not that he'd ever tell Hermione that.

"Well, I'll be going to bed then." Kat said after a while, no longer able to take the uncomfortable silence.

"Night." Sirius knew that he could not turn around to look at Kat, for if he did that, he would stop her; and who knows what would happen then.

Kat gave a sad smile that Sirius was unable to see (due to his turned back) and quietly left the room. Leaving both of them feeling almost as bad as they had done before the conversation.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, yes, I know it's been a hell of a long time since I've posted any chapters in this story (not that it seems to be bothering anyone, since I have gotten very few reviews lately *frown*) but I've been very busy. I've got a couple of other ideas for stories (and not all of them in HP, btw). Gods, I'm prattling. Sorry. Let me get on with the story…

**Last thing: REVIEW! (That's an order!)**

Harry Potter came to Grimmauld Place a few weeks later, to the delight of most people in the house. Sirius was literally bouncing around the house, a small smile on his face – except for when Severus Snape came to the house – and generally behaving like the Sirius he had been at school.

The look on Snape's face had been quite comical when he first saw Kat, two weeks after she first came to the ancient Black manor. She was calmly sitting in the kitchen, sipping some butterbeer and discussing disguises with Moody and Tonks when none other than greasy-haired, beak-nosed Snape made his sneering entrance with Molly and Arthur, Remus shortly in tow.

At first he did not seem to recognise her, but then he seemed to do a double take. His jaw dropped, his eyes went wide, his skin went even whiter than usual and he uttered a word that Molly would have scolded him severly for had any of the children been present. As it was, she sent him a withering look that would have made even the twins quiver.

Kat's smile was wide and almost malicious – a lot like the one Snape often gave his students. She, of course, knew that he was part of the Order, and although she found it hard to believe that he was trustworthy, she had little choice in the matter.

"So we meet again, Severus Snape." All other conversation in the room seemed to cease – even Remus and Tonks stopped whispering behind their hands.

"How?" Was all he asked, his jaw still slack.

She smirked and shrugged. "What can I say? Cat's have nine lives, don't they?" 

There were a couple of nearly-stifled snorts of laughter from certain individuals in the room. Very amusing indeed.

Since then, Snape had remained quite distant and wary of Kat, not speaking to her unless it was absolutely necessary. Not that it bugged her.

As for Harry Potter, he came as quite a shock. Kat had not expected him to look quite as much like James did… and with those eyes like Lily's. 

She saw him first in the kitchen after their meeting with Snape, and Kat was in a good mood. Something that had become quite rare lately. Things between her and Sirius were edgy at best. It was a seesaw between unease and old familiarity, tinged with just enough mutual attraction to make any conversations awkward.

For a moment, she saw flashes of memories of James and Sirius standing and plotting in exactly the same way as Sirius and the dark-haired boy now stood. In fact, she even seemed to think for a moment that it _was_ James. Then the boy turned to her, and his eyes were as green as Lily's. Not James then, never again James.

"Harry." Sirius said with a small nod in Kat's direction. "I'd like you to meet one of my old friends, Katherine Hale."

Kat plastered a smile on her face and shook the boy's hand. She wanted to say something about his parents, but knowing how she felt when people brought up her parents, she knew that it would not be the right thing to do.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Harry. Oh, and please call me Kat."

The boy nodded and turned to help Molly with dinner, leaving her to dash back barely-formed tears – a gesture only Moody and Sirius saw. Moody ignored it, knowing that she would not have wanted any attention called on the weakness. Sirius, on the other hand, gave her a small sympathetic smile. 

Just what she wanted.

                                                                        ****

It was two evenings before the children would go back to Hogwarts when Kat found Sirius standing in Harry and Ron's door. Both boys were sound asleep; Ron sprawled on his back and snoring loudly, Harry curled up in a ball, one hand tucked under his cheek.

"He looks so much like James, doesn't he?" Kat leaned on the doorframe beside Sirius.

He didn't even look at her, his eyes staying fixed on the sleeping boy, a deep sadness in his eyes. "Yes, too much, I sometimes think."

"Do you love him as a godson, Sirius, or do you love him as a little part of James came back?"

Now he looked at her, a sharp, questioning glance before he sighed and gazed into space. "I do not know, really. He _is _my godson, and I care for him deeply, but sometimes I feel like he is my only link to James – and to our past. All those years in Azkaban I thought of one day being able to see him, of being able to take care of James and Lily's only son. But he is my one true link to James, the one thing that keeps me close to the James."

Kat shook her head. "No Sirius, that is not true. You have Remus, and me. But even more importantly, you have the memories of James. As long as you have those, James is with you. It is only when we forget those we love, that we truly loose them."

He gave her a sad smile. "Did you ever forget me in all those years?"

"Never."

Sirius leaned a hand against her cheek, caressing the tanned skin softly. Kat closed her eyes and leaned against his hand, every line of her face showing the years worth of pain she carried. He tilted up her chin, her large azure eyes opening in surprise, and familiar lips parted ever so slightly. And softly, ever so carefully, his lips brushed hers before he stepped back and walked down the darkened hallway, leaving Kat weak and slightly dizzy in the doorframe, trying to suppress the ache for his touch.

In the room, Harry rolled over in his sleep and mumbled something.

Sirius came back greatly depressed from the station, although there was a flush of colour to his cheeks which was no doubt caused by his time outdoors. Kat herself had been out of the house more than he had been, she was no longer scared of anyone recognising her – she no longer cared. If fact, she had decided that it might even be good for the supporters of Voldemort to see that she was still alive. Besides, she doubted if anyone who had not known her very well when she was younger would even knew that is was her.

Naturally, the others of the Order frowned about it, but Dumbledore did not believe that it would be dangerous to the Order for Kat to be seen back in Britain, so Kat was allowed a bit more freedom that Sirius, but not overly much.

Things between the two was even stranger than before. Molly and Arthur had gone home, and most of the time Kat and Sirius was left alone in Grimmauld Place, which did nothing to alleviate the tension in the house.

Kreacher was making a nuisance of himself, and he thoroughly gave Kat the creeps.

"Can't you just put his head on a spike?" She asked Sirius once as Kreacher swept past them, mumbling something about how horrible a son Sirius was and how much Mrs Black would have hated Kat.

"Are you kidding?" Sirius whispered back. "And face Hermione's reaction?"

Kat nearly fell over laughing. She had, of course, bought a SPEW badge just to keep 'Mione from prattling on about the rights of house elves, but she had given it to Fred and George to perform experiments on as soon as the younger girl wasn't looking. There was no way she would fight for more rights for Kreacher. Not a chance.

"Would your mother really have hated me?" She asked one evening as the two of them sat having a solitary – but completely unromantic – dinner .

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "My mother was a mean old bat. Would you really have wanted her to like you?"

Kat shrugged. "I don't know. I was just wondering. We never talked about our parents while we were at school, did we? I mean I knew that you had lived with James for a few years…" She trailed off, not knowing how Sirius would react.

"I wasn't exactly my mother's favourite son." He broke off to take a sip of fire-whiskey. "In fact she hated me, and the feeling was mutual. She most definitely wouldn't have liked you, for the simple reason that I liked you."

Kat nearly winched aloud when Sirius said 'liked'. Did it mean that he no longer did? She tried not to remember how she had felt that evening when he kissed her. Oh sure, they had had many more passionate kisses when they had been younger, but somehow, they seemed dimmed by that one, unbearably sweet kiss. 

"I heard your parents were both killed." He didn't seemed to notice Kat's reaction to that one word.

"Yes, Moody cornered them. He and the Longbottoms, but my _parents_ refused to come quietly. They had to be killed." She gave a sad grin. "Not that I minded very much."

Sirius nodded sagely. "I swore to myself that I would kill your father myself, but with all the stuff going on in the Order, there was just never time to corner them."

"It was taken care of, Sirius, and that is all that matters. Now, we once again face the threat that ripped our lives apart." She fell silent and for a while they both sat caught in memories of the past. "I do not believe that I have ever cried as hard as when I heard of their deaths…"

He raised a hand to stop her. "Please, Kat, let's not go there. These days hold way too many painful memories of the lives we left behind, we need not drag sadness up where it is not needed."

Kat nodded, but inside she wanted to yell at him. _She_ had never had someone to talk to about Lily and James; she had never managed to quite get over it, and regret hung heavy upon her heart. If there was one piece of good advice her father had ever given her, it had been not to let 'if only' rule her life.

Mostly she was able to live by that rule, but when it came to her high school friends, she could not help it. She had never been so happy in her life as she had been that year at Hogwarts, and sometimes she thought that she would sell her living soul to have that year back again. Ah well, if wishes were wings sheep would fly. 

They lapsed back into the uncomfortable silence that they had grown so used to, and each of them went their own way by day.

                                                                        **** 

 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Geez people! I have a full two reviews for this story so far! Come on, I'm not writing this for myself, I'm writing it for you people, I'd really appreciate some reviews! 

**Have a nice day all! **

Kat had never been in St Mungo's before and to tell the truth, it was not a place she wanted to visit again soon. She had insisted on coming, so she would have to deal with it.

Arthur had not been in the hospital for very long, but it appeared as if he was quickly getting over his injury. Molly, Bill and Charlie were walking with her, their eyes peeled for any signs of danger or the mere sight of anyone who would have known her previously. So far, there was no reason to be alarmed.

Not that Kat would have been even if she was faced by an entire garrison of Dark Wizards, she had kept her rage at them pent up for too long, and some time or another she would have to let it out before she exploded. She couldn't help but wish that she would run into a known Death Eater.

How did the saying go? Be careful of what you wished, for the Gods might just grant it. 

They nearly reached the exit of the hospital when they walked into none other than Lucius Malfoy. He sneered, he prepared to make some kind of snide comment and then he saw Kat.

He went deathly pale and his eyes bulged. Well, at least he was struck speechless for once.

"What is wrong, Malfoy? Seen a ghost?" Kat laughed. "Or has the cat caught your tongue?"

Beside her she could feel Bill and Charlie tense and ready themselves to reach for their wands. Molly fidgeted, narrow-eyed gaze locked on her family's greatest enemy.

"This is not possible." He whispered. "You were killed! Your father told me so himself!"

"Speak not of my father, Malfoy, for I have none." She made a show of glancing around her. "And since everyone else seems to be able to see me, I would say that I am alive."

Malfoy sneered. "Not for very long, you won't be. There are many who would tell the Dark Lord that you still live." He did not seem to remember – or care about – the  Weasleys standing around her.

"Oh, I'm counting on it, Lucius, I'm counting on it." She gave him a cold smile. "Now, if you would excuse us, we have to get going."

Lucius said something to her that she didn't bother to listen to as they swept past, she with a giddy smile on her face, the others still tense and nervous.

"I can't believe that you did that!" Bill exploded as they entered the dark hallway of Grimmauld Place. No-one had said a word on their way back, but Charlie's lips were pressed together so hard that they had gone almost white. Molly had an expression on her face that she usually wore when the twins had done something particularly bad.

Somewhere in the hall, the painting of Mrs Black started screaming, making Sirius dash to get her to shut up and the children all poke their heads out of they're rooms to see what was going on.

"Of all the stupid, dangerous things to do, you had to _talk _to Lucius Malfoy!" Bill kept yelling, not allowing his mother or Kat to get a word in edgewise. "You put us all in danger because of what you just did, that was so stupid!"

A loud, piercing whistle came from the stairs and Remus came striding down the stairs. "Kitchen, everyone, now!" He glanced up at the children on the landing. "Go finish decorating the second tree!" 

Kat had almost forgotten that it was Christmas; it had been years since she had celebrated it, and the day's trip was also to buy some gifts for the vast amount of people in the house. She had even gotten something for Moody – not an easy feat.

"Now, what is this all about?" Sirius asked as they all settled in the kitchen.

"Bill is upset because I didn't just walk past Malfoy, but instead had a little chit chat with him." Kat perched herself on the edge of the kitchen counter. "I want him to know that I am alive, I want them all to know it."

They all stared at her blankly. "Are you mad?" Charlie asked after a while.

"No, I just want them to know that Voldemort – oh for God's sake – couldn't succeed in killing me, or at least one of his biggest supporters couldn't. Right now, I want them to be as uncertain about where I am and how I lived as they can." She shrugged. "He wouldn't be the first Death Eater that I've met these last years. The only difference is that most of the others didn't live to tell the tale."

There was a cold hardness to her voice that sent chills down the spine, and no one disbelieved her.

"Moody always said that you had become much harsher and much more danger-seeking, but I had no idea." Sirius sat staring at her, a strange mixture of emotions on his face.

"Still, it was very irresponsible of you, Kat." Molly said, hands on hips.

"Why was it? It is not as if anyone will find me here, and heaven help them if they do. Besides, it is not like I am a wanted criminal, and there is nothing that can link me with the Order." She shook her head and her hair cascaded across her shoulders. "But if you think that I will endanger you, I will pack my stuff tonight."

"That's not what we said, Kat, this will remain the safest place for you to stay – and you will stay here." Remus was stern. "You will not leave this house again until we have discussed this matter with Dumbledore."

Kat jumped up. "I am not a child that you can keep here, Remus! I am a grown woman, and I have held my own out in the world for many years. Do not presume to think that you can order me around."

"You were sent here _by Dumbledore_ because he knew that it was dangerous for you to even be back in Britain. You were sent to us so we could keep you safe!" Remus had steel in his eyes and steel in his voice. Bill, Charlie, Molly and Sirius came and stood behind him, arms crossed. "You can stay here of your own free will, or we will knock you senseless and lock you up in Moody's trunk. Do you hear me?"

She stood for a moment, scowling at the lot of them. "Fine!" She threw up her hands. "But I shall go stark raving mad!"

Sirius muttered something that sounded a lot like: "Join the club."

Remus didn't budge. "Swear it, Kat. Swear upon the graves of all those who have died in the fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Swear it!"

"I swear I won't leave the house until Dumbledore thinks it is safe." She was quivering in rage. "Happy?"

Nodding, Remus stepped out of her way. "Yes, I am."

Kat flaunted past him with the air of an angry cat. She was just in time to catch the twins, Harry and Ron pulling up what appeared to be long, flesh-coloured pieces of string. She wasn't in the mood to rat on them, so she merely stalked past them up to her room, fully aware that she was being incredibly childish.

                                                                        ****

"Did you know my parents?" It was the question Kat had been waiting for and dreading at the same time. She and Harry were sitting in the lounge; she reading an old book Moody gave her for Christmas, and Harry finishing off his homework.

"Yes, I did." She said, closing the book and leaning back against the couch. "Lily was one of my best friends, and your father was the first person at Hogwarts ever to be kind to me. I nearly ran him over at the station, and he introduced me to the other Marauders."

Harry nodded. Kat had to admit that she didn't know quite how to feel about the boy. When she had first met him, she had thought him to be a stubborn, arrogant and somewhat annoyingly full of himself boy that looked all too much like James. But he could be so charmingly vulnerable sometimes, and a part of her wished that she could have been his godmother as she knew she would have been had she been able to see his parents after her 'death'. 

He asked her many questions about his parents, some of which she could – or would –not answer. She tried to explain to him that she had known them for only a year, but that she had loved both of them dearly as very close friends.

"And you and Sirius?" He asked, green eyes regarding her from beneath the shock of dark hair that was so like his father's.

"We dated while we were still at school, but it seems like he has moved on." She failed to keep the regret out of her voice. Kat had no idea why Sirius had kissed her that night; nor had he made any move again after that. She was confused and frustrated and weak. None of which she enjoyed.

"Your parents were very dear to me, Harry, and I cannot tell you how I wish that it could have been different. I would very gladly give up my very life to see them alive and happy and know that Sirius never went to Azkaban." She sighed and wondered if she had gone too far, or if he would take offence.

But James's son surprised her just as James had always done. "Has Sirius changed much since he went to Azkaban?"

The question shocked her. Not even once had it crossed her mind that she was not the only one who had changed in the long years since their sixth year. She was very aware of the fact that she had changed, she could see it in the way that Remus and Sirius looked and spoke to her, but somehow it had slipped past her that Sirius as well might have walked away from Azkaban much changed.

"I would say yes, although he might argue. The Sirius I used to know was carefree and playful. Sure, he had always been brooding as well, no-one could truly come out of a house like this without coming away somewhat scratched, but when I knew him, he was truly… happy." She frowned as she struggled to put what she thought into words. 

"There is a shadow behind his eyes now, a darkness that I don't believe will ever be banished. It is understandable of course, he spent many years in Azkaban – for a crime he didn't commit. That is enough to change any man."

It didn't seem as if the boy wanted to talk any further, for he only nodded and closed his books. "Thanks Kat." He said and gave her a small smile. "I think I'll go to bed now."

She nodded and wished him pleasant dreams before returning to her book.

"Do you really believe that I've changed that much?" Sirius asked from behind her, making her nearly jump out of her skin. So that was why Harry had left so quickly. She did not dare to think of how much Sirius had heard.

"I think that we have all changed, Sirius; we have all been forced to change. Some of us more than others." She shrugged as he walked around the couch to sit opposite her. "I would say that we are two of those who were forced to change more than the others."

He sat there silently, dark gaze locked on her, his mind miles away. Kat wished she could read the thoughts that played behind his eyes.

"I missed you, Kat." He said, almost as if he just wished to break the silence.

She had to fight back tears, and fearing to speak she merely nodded.

"What has changed so much between us?" He asked, standing up and pacing around the room, looking for all the world like a caged animal. 

"I know not, for if I did, I would change it back to the way it was."

"Some times I want nothing more than to take you in my arms, Kat, and to forbid you to ever leave me again. Then, at other times, I fear that if I allow myself to love you, I will only be hurt again; that I will only lose you again. What type of a choice is that?"

"The same one I have to face, Sirius, and I too know that it is not easy." Kat sat quietly, although one part of her wanted to jump for joy, and the other part wanted to collapse weeping.

He stood silently, brooding eyes locked on Kat, before he threw up his hands in exasperation. "I don't know!" He nearly yelled. "I no longer know what to do!" He looked on the verge of throwing something, but instead, he merely stormed out of the room, leaving Kat to her misery.

                                                                        ****


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**** Ok, ok, I've been a very bad person. I know it has been ages since I updated this story and I am sorry, but sue my family and friends. You see, they have kept me so busy with holidays and social outings that I haven't had the time to sit down and write. I'm so sorry! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Read and review please!!**

If anyone had thought that the tension between Sirius and Kat could not get** any worse, they were wrong. In the weeks following the Christmas holidays, the house became increasingly empty as the other members of the Order returned to their "normal" lives.**

This, unfortunately, left Sirius and Kat alone quite a lot, which was not always such a good idea. Although it had been some time since  they had a shouting match, they now avoided each other and spoke very little, if at all.

Instead, they both threw themselves into the work of cleaning up the house, a fact which was helped by the decrease in activity on Kreacher's part. What miffed Kat was the fact that Sirius spent more time with Buckbeak than he did with her. Not that she blamed him, really, for they were still not sure what was going on between them. 

It was rather late on a Thursday afternoon when Kat let herself into the last bedroom in the hallway, wrinkling her nose at the stale smell that assaulted her senses as she pulled open the door.

The room was almost empty, with only a moldy dresser and an even moldier bed placed on a faded, tattered green carpet.  The entire room spoke of desolation and abandonment, and showed the full extent of Kreacher's crappy service as a house elf.

With a sigh, Kat set to work, scrubbing and cleaning until the room smelled of soap and clean air. There was nothing to do for the mattress, as even magic couldn't save it, so she decided to leave it until she could ask Sirius what he wanted done with it.

She had scrubbed the outside of the dresser, but wasn't in the mood to wait for Moody to tell her if there was anything in it before she opened it.

So, with wand raised and grim determination written on her features, she flung open the dresser…and found it empty. She was just heaving a sigh of relief when a piercing screeching started from the depths of the dresser, making Kat gasp and drop her wand to cover her ears.

The shrieking grew in intensity and pitch, driving Kat to her knees in pain as sharp needles of sound drove themselves into her brain. Kat knew that sound like that could kill her, but she couldn't move through the waves of pain that surrounded her. Surely not even Voldemort had ever caused so much pain in her. A darkness settled over her eyes, and the last thing she saw before she blacked out was Sirius running into the room, wand raised, yelling out a spell.

It was a scene that Kat had often seen in her dreams. Often she smelled the decay, often she felt the suffocating hand of fear closing around her throat as she lay weak with pain, unable to break free of the nightmare that had been taken directly from her past. 

Yet this time, it was different. They were all there, her father, Alfious Malfoy, Sirius, Remus, James. They watched as the scene unfolded before them, waiting breathlessly for the moment when Morris Hale would plunge his blade into his daughter's abdomen, shattering not only her body, but her very soul. But this time, it was not Kat that lay on the bed, every fiber of her being shattered by a pain beyond comprehension. 

This time it was Sirius, his face contorted, a low moan coming from between his clenched lips. And it was above him that a knife hung suspended, held in Morris Hale's hand, and Kat felt panic clench at her heart. So she stood, unable to do anything as she watched the glittering blade pierce Sirius's skin, she listened helpless as he cried out in pain and shock. She watched, transfixed, as the bed turned into a gaping doorway through which Sirius fell, his hands reaching for her, his face pleading while he plummeted to the dark death that awaited him. Kat watched, powerless, as he disappeared from her grasp for ever.

Kat woke up screaming, sitting bolt-upright and throwing off the blankets that covered her. Her breathing came labored, and she clutched at the covers as her heart thundered in her chest.

It was Sirius who came into her line of vision, and it was he who placed a soothing hand on her brow, brushing back the strands of raven hair that fell into her face. Kat sat for a moment, getting her breathing back to normal and calming her heartbeat. 

"Where am I?" She asked, realizing that she did not recognize the room she found herself in.

"My room." Sirius's voice was a mixture of relief and sheepishness. "It was closer to the scene of the 'accident' than your room was."

Memory returned to Kat and she felt annoyance rise in her. With a slight shake of her head she shrugged off Sirius's hand and started to force her wild hair back into the elastic band that it had escaped from. "What was that?"

"One of my mother's nastier surprises." Sirius shrugged, vainly trying to keep his own temper under control. "I thought we had agreed that we wouldn't open any strange places without someone for backup, Katherine, you could have been killed."

"I could have died of boredom." Kat snapped back, climbing out of the bed.

Sirius only glared at her, making no move to stop her. "You always have been an ungrateful bitch, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have." Kat shot back. "Got a problem with it?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Sirius was positively shaking with rage. "You live in my house, eat my food and intrude on my personal space and what do I get for it? Sweet fuck all."

Kat laughed mockingly. "You think I live here willingly? I stay here because Dumbledore wants me to be here." She shrugged and straightened her sweater. "Besides, if you are so worried about your privacy, why did you ever offer this charming place as the headquarters for the Order?"

Kat bent down to pick up her shoes and at the same time gave her sweater another vicious tug. Something silver dropped out of the neck of the sweater and hung suspended on a thin silver chain. Sirius, who was about to say something particularly nasty, snapped his mouth shut at the sight of it, eyes fixed on the small pendant.

"You've had that all these years?"

Kat looked down at the small silver pendant, running a slender finger over the familiar figure of a cat, lovingly lingering on the sparkling azure eyes. "Yes, I never took it off since the Christmas when you gave it to me." She shrugged and dropped it back underneath her clothes. "I know it is silly of me…but it helps me not to forget the fact that I was once loved."

"You are still loved, Kat, you just won't open your eyes to it." Sirius could no longer deny that which he felt, and he moved closer to her; so close that he could feel the heat of her breath upon his face.

"Show me." Was all she whispered before she was in his arms, his lips firmly on hers, his hands exploring flesh only half-remembered. The bed was soft and inviting, and fire raced through their veins.

Later, much later, Kat and Sirius lay in a comfortable tangle of arms and legs, a delicious drowsiness settled across both of them. The old house creaked as the storm assaulted it on the outside, but on the inside no other noise but the occasional drip of water from a leak in the roof could be heard.

Kat felt more comfortable than she had in many, many years and she sighed in contentment as Sirius brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"I missed you, Kitty Kat." Sirius whispered as his fingers lightly skipped over her arm and up to the pendant which hung around her neck. "I never thought that you would keep this, I wondered what happened to it after you…died and when I asked Dumbledore if I could have it back, he only said that it was beyond my grasp. I was so mad."

Kat laughed softly, snuggling closer to the warmth of Sirius's body. "I knew I would keep it forever. I thought that I would throw it away after you went to Azkaban, but I could not bring myself to do it. I am glad that I did not."

They lay silently, drifting between the world of waking and the world of dreams, securely wrapped in the arms of love. Outside, the rain fell in soft drops, the fury of the storm having worked itself out, leaving only the soft drizzle. 

"So what happens now?" Kat asked as the sun made its slow journey past the horizon, coaxing the birds from their nests.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, shifting his weight slightly.

"What happens with us, Sirius? Do we continue as we did before, ignoring all that happened and living separate lives, or do we acknowledge what we did and see where it goes?"

Sirius tightened his arms around her. "I never want to lose you again, Kat. And I can't forget what happened last night, I don't want to even try."

Smiling, Kat kissed him softly, running one hand down his chest. "Mmm, I think we should add to those memories, don't you?"

With a deft movement, Sirius rolled Kat onto her back so he lay on top of her. "Sounds like a brilliant idea."

                                                          ****

**Ok, that's it for this chapter. I know it's very short, and I apologize, but I'm having another classical case of writer's block. Reviews help to unjam my brain though, so the more you review, the more I write!**


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